Scripture Passage
Sermon
{Scripture in Text}
Word of the Lord
First Corinthians Chapter three, verses one to nine, “and so brothers and sisters, I cannot speak to you as spiritual people, but rather as people of the flesh. As infants in Christ, I fed you with milk, not solid food for you are not ready for solid food even now, you’re still not ready, for you’re still of the flesh, for as long as there is jealousy and quarrelling among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving according to human inclinations? For when one says, I belong to Paul and another I belong to Apollos. Are you not merely human? What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Only Servants through whom you came to believe, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted and apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who gives the growth. The one who plants and the one who waters have a common purpose, and each will receive wages according to the labor of each. For we are God’s servants working together; you are God’s field, God’s building. This is the word of the Lord.
Paul and Apollo
Gospel stories always have implications not only for individuals personally, but for the church, for the society, for humanity. It has implications, so when we hear other gospel stories, we have to always remember that it has a social significance. At the same time, it has a personal significance and also spiritual significance. As you see into the scripture, the Corinthian church was divided. There were people who followed Paul and there were people who followed Apollos. Paul and Apollos were leaders in the Clinton community. Paul was the one who founded the Corinthian community, and Apollos came later, but he was very eloquent and he had charismatic influence on people. Paul and Apollos never had problem with each other, they were not divided at all, but people were divided. People used Paul and Apollos for their own personal agenda and take control, control of the community. When they were fervent, they were religious. They thought that they were good believers, but in Paul’s eyes, they were like infants. They’re not mature Christians. I mean there are some people who really are religious and all that, but in Paul’s eyes they look like infants. So Paul saw this as very immature attitude and he said this, “I fed you with milk, not solid food for you because you’re not ready for solid food. Even now, you’re still not ready for you’re still of the flesh for as long as there’s jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving according to human inclination?”. Divisive attitude is spiritually immature attitude. A spiritually mature person always tries to build and bring unity even though it may not be the sole purpose, they try their best to bring unity wherever they go.
Becoming One
A church is a place where all kinds of people gather together. Politically, we have very different views. Every one of you probably has a different political colour and are culturally very different. There are some Koreans and non Koreans, others first generation some second generation, Korean speaking and English speaking, some with different hobbies and interests, and finally some who are doing well economically and financially and some who are not doing well. Church is diverse. If the church consists of spiritually immature people who can only drink milk, the church will be divided and many people will get hurt. We have seen this as a historical example, the Korean community in the early immigrant life. They fought so much with each other and so many people got hurt in the middle. We’ll have to spiritually grow to bring unity and harmony in the church. Trying to make everybody like me is not the way to bring unity and harmony. If you have enough influence and power, you may achieve uniformity, but that’s not unity. Uniformity is not in unity. If you have enough power, you can have a small group and build some kind of uniformity and think alike, do things together, but that is not uniform.
Unity Among Everyone
A unity is possible only when there is diversity unity is possible, unity without is not unity. Harmony is possible only when they there are different notes. When you sing in unison, you can not bring harmony. So unity is a very different picture from uniformity. Saint Paul knew very well this diverse character of community, and this is what he said in the same letter. We didn’t read it today, but in the same letter he said in Chapter 12, “indeed the body does not consist of one member, but of many. It’s not just one member, and diverse people are in the community”. Saint Paul said that “you have no right to tell another member that you don’t belong here”. In other words cliquishness, Paul does not like that kind of attitude. All the racism and sexism, all go together. Whenever there is a problem, the people tell immigrants, go home, go back to your own country. I mean, they were born here, they lived here all their lives and often days they go home. That kind of attitude Paul does not allow. This is what Saint Paul said “I cannot see to the hand, I have no need of you because you don’t look like I, nor again the head to the feet. I have no need of you”. That’s not the right thing to do in the Christian community or in our society, or a larger global community. That’s not something that you are to say to each other. We all belong to this earth. We all belong here. We are all different, but we are one that is a miracle. We are all different, but we are one. Everyone is welcomed. This is what Saint Paul said “Now there are varieties of gifts, varieties of services, and varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone”. When you look at all the red, our varieties, that’s belongs to human beings, all of us, we’re all different, but unity belongs to God. The spirit, the Lord, all the blue letter, we may be all different, but God is the same. We have to understand this very basic composition of the church. We are all different and that is the face of the church. Don’t try to coerce each other to be like you. Accept, allow each other to be the way they authentically are. That’s what Christian community is all about. We don’t achieve oneness by coercing other people to be like me. We achieve oneness, only by valuing each other, each person valueS each person’s gift and what each person can bring to the community. When we start valuing that, then unity becomes reality. Saint Paul recognized this very well when he said, “I only planted the church and apollos watered it, so who cares if I planted it and who cares if apollos watered it? We’re nobody we are nothing, but it is God who brings growth”. Look at that. I planted, apollos watered, but God gave the growth so neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything but only God who gives the strength. My friends power, device, love unites power by its nature, device and power rules. There’s always powerful, the powerless, the haves and have nots, the rich and the poor, white and black. Whenever you try to build a community with power, there will be division, whether it’s a personal, moral, spiritual or even religious power. When power starts ruling the community, the community divides, but when the love rules the community, it brings unity.
The One Who Can Bring Unity
When you plant a church with love and sacrifice, the church will grow with the help of God. Growth comes from God. What we do is nothing and will not bring growth. When we serve with him, with humility and love, God will use us to bring growth. I realized this truth, I can never bring unity. We can never bring unity. I only humbly serve. Only God brings unity. Unity is God’s gift for all of us. Recognizing that we serve each other with love and humility and what love looks like, what does love look like? It looks like this it’s very simple. Let me tell you, Saint Paul said “but God has so arranged the body giving the greater honour to the inferior member. That’s a secret. Give greater honour to the inferior number, a member that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer with it. If one member is honoured, all will rejoice together with it. That is what love looks like. If you truly have love, you always honour and lift up the one who is inferior to one who is broken. That’s what love looks like. You don’t just honour the powerful. You don’t just honour the popular ones, you honour the inferior member. That’s what love looks like. That’s very different from the teaching, a message of this world. When you build a church with a love, this, you will be able to see that is a sign of a community. Whether that community is built by love or power. When you see the community that is built by love, you’ll see that members appreciating and honoring the inferior members, and I do believe that this applies to global community too. We have to honour those countries. We have to honour those people who are oppressed, suppressed, rejected because of their lack of power. We don’t conquer them. You don’t don’t trample upon them. The greater honour to the inferior member of the global community, that’s what Paul’s teaching is all about. The country that is run by power will divide and ultimately collapse, that’s what history tells us. Any country that is run only by power will divide, collapse, decline. Even though it is the empire, there’ll be a decline of the empire. For the country that is run by love, justice and compassion, will unite and grow. That’s what we believe. That’s what Christians believe. Together we stand. Whenever I look at Korea, the only country that is divided politically in every way. I hope that there is some kind of unity, and when I look at the global community right now, everyday I get saddened and everyday I read the newspaper, I get saddened because we are fragmented. This whole world is divided, fragmented into pieces. Everybody is so hungry for power, for concurring. We have to restore love, justice, and compassion so that we can create the Kingdom of God. God may build the Kingdom of God. That’s what I pray. May God’s rule come. May God’s kingdom come. May We human beings repent of our sins of greed and let God of compassion rule, then unity will be reality.
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